Turbine water-wheel



(No Model.) N. BURNHAM.

TURBINE WATER WHEEL.

No. 382,026. PajlzentedMay1,1888.

. INVENTOR yafiml llhwnhavn By 711;? Attorneys llHIll l lllll I I lWITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

NATHAN F. BURNHAM, OF YORK, PENNSYLVANIA.

TURBINE WATER-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 382,026, dated May 1,1888.

Application filed December 17, 1887. Serial No. 258, 177. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHAN F. BURNHAM, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city and county of York, and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTurbine Water-VVheel Cases, of which the following is a specification.

My invention more especially relates to that class of turbinesmanufactured by me for many years, and secured to me by several UnitedStatesLetters Patent. This class of turbines comprises, among otherthings, a case, a gate inclosed therein, and a cover resting on thecase. The spindle of the water-wheel itself, as wellas the gate, hascenter bearings in the case and cover. The pressure of the watersometimes tends to cause the cover to spring unequally, and thus producefriction and consequent wear of the gate and case.

It is the object of one part of my invention.

to obviate this objection, while securing other advantages, which ends Iattain by interposing arms between the cover and gate, as hereinafterset forth.

The subject-matter claimed is hereinafter specifically designated in theclaims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate so much of a water-wheel caseembodying my improvements as is necessary to illustrate the inventionherein claimed'in my preferred form of embodiment; but formalmodification may be made therein without departing from the spirit ofmyinvention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view with the cover turned up, more clearly toshow the organization of the mechanism; Fig. 2 represents a verticalsection on the line as 00 of Fig. 1, with the cover shut down; and Fig.3, a plan view of the case, the gate, and the gear thereon.

Unless otherwise indicated, the parts are of well-known construction,the case A, cover 13, and gate 0, for instance, being substantiallysimilar to corresponding parts shown in my former patents above referredto. A ring, N, bolted to the top of the gate overlaps and rests on theupper part of the case. This ring is provided with recesses 12 on itsinner side, for a purpose hereinafter described. A rack, O, is securedon the upper side of the gate rin to the curve of which it corresponds.The teeth of this rack are beveled or rounded at the ends, as shown inFig. 3, with their longitudinal axes radiating from a pointslight- 1yeccentric to the bearing on which the ring turns. These gears mesh witha worm-gear, P, secured on a shaft, Q. turning in bearings on the caseand inclosed by a shield, S, and cap T. The cogs being arranged withtheir axes substantially coincident'with the wormthread, a smoothcontact is secured, as well as great durability and resistance tostrains. The gate arms N are secured at their outer ends to the gatering, their inner ends being connected with a central boss or journal,M. The cover-armsji are preferably connected with the cover adjustablyand near their outer ends by means of set-screws H,passing throughelongated slots in the cover into lugs F on the cover'arms. Similarscrews, K, passing horizontally through the cover, abut against the endsof the arms, thus affording means for horizontal adjustment.

The cover-arms unite in the center to form a ring or bearing, in whichthe journal of the gate-arms has its bearing. The screws K, abovementioned, insure accurate centering, to which the screws H accommodatethem selves by moving laterally in their slots in the cover. Lugs G onthe lower outer ends of the cover-arms bear on the gate, and thusprevent its rising or tilting and keep it down to its work accurately.As these lugs bear on the gate in the recesses a of the gate-ring, theyfurthermore act as stops to limit the range of movement of the gate andits ring. \Vear of the gate may be compensated by inserting collars Lbetween the lugs F and the cover. The cover-arms, being interposedbetween the cover and gate and connected with the former near its outeredge, are not affected by its uneven springing, and at the same timeprevent the throwing of the center bearing of the gate out of place andthe consequent rubbing by the gate of the vertical part of the case, assome times happens under the old system.

The horizontal adjustment of the coverarms, as before remarked, insuresthe accurate centering of the gate in its bearings, and the collarsinterposed between the cover and its arms compensate wear simply andeffectually.

I amaware that gate-arms have heretofore slots in 'a central ring, andthat worm-gear has been used to move a gate, and do not therefore claimeither of these features, broadly.

What I claim herein as of myinvcntion is- 1. The combination,substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the turbine water-wheelcase, the gate inelosed therein, the gate-arms, their central spindle orjournal, the cover over the case, and the arms secured to the cover nearits outer margin, interposed between the cover and gate, and providedwith a central ring to form a bearing for the gate arms, for thepurposes specified.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbeforeset forth, of a turbinewater-whee1 case, the gate inclosed therein, the gate ring, the recesseson its inner margin,thegate-arms, their central journal, the cover overthe ease, the cover-arms interposed between the cover and gate, and thelugs on the cover-arms bearing on the gate in therecesses of thegate-ring to limit both its vertical and lateral movement.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theturbine water-wheel case, the gate inclosed therein, the gatering, thegate arms, their central journal, the cover over the case, the armssecured to the cover near its outer margin and interposed between thecover and gate, the rack on the top of the gate-ring, and the worm onthe case meshing therewith.

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of theturbine water-wheel case, the gate inclosed therein, the gate-arms,their central journal, the cover over the case, the arms interposedbetween the cover and ease, the central ring on the cover-arms formingthe bearing for the gate arms journal, the set-screws passinghorizontally through the cover and abutting against the ends of thecover-arms, and the vertical set-screws passing through slots in thecover into logs on the cover-arms to insure accurate centering andadjustment of the gatering.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of thecover, the coverarms, the adjusting-screws passing horizontally throughthe cover and abutting against the ends of the cover-arms, slots in thecover near its outer edge, lugs on the cover-arms, and set-screwspassing through said slots to connect the cover and its arms and topermit of their relative adjustment.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub scribed my name.

NATHAN F. BURNHAM. \Vi tn esses:

DAVID 0. Person, A. N. GREEN.

